If you're anything like me you absolutely despise the endless parade of generic modern shooters that has come to dominate much of the gaming industry. Of course you might not be anything like me, but there's a least one person who is: Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation. His rants about shooters are both witty and insightful and I find myself nodding my head vigorously in consensus most of the time.

So I clicked on his review of a game called Spec Ops: The Line today--a game who's existence I was previously scarcely even aware of and who's title and box art are both so generic I would be hard pressed to even find in a pile of similar games--expecting good old-fashioned shooter-trashing fun. I was shocked to find instead that he was heaping praise on the game, mostly for its narrative. I was even more shocked to find myself genuinely intrigued by his description of the game and actually wanting to play it.

I did a little more research on the game and found that many other sources were praising the narrative as well. While the game got mixed scores the criticisms were mainly the so-so but still perfectly functional shooting mechanics (meh) and the poor multiplayer (could not possibly care less).

So has anyone else played this? I think I might actually have to pick this one up.

Kevadu, The TV advertisement for the game was enough to put me off. Particularly "Theres a line men like me have to cross" I mean really? It reeks generica and I not sure whether the boy's this is marketed for are interested in finding out what line the wise old man is talking about. With that in mind, I have no doubt my other half will buy this for me because it's a new game. I've also read the positive narrative related comments on the interwebs, This is a tough call Kevadu, who wants to be 1st?

I'm currently playing it on the PC. I don't like single players in shooter and often ignore them. about 2 hours into Spec Ops, I really enjoy the atmosphere and narrative. The game is a bit of a shooting gallery in between narrative stuff though.

I just finished it earlier today and I loved it. Well, "loved" it would a weird word to use because of how extreme the game becomes. Let's just say it's a very powerful experience and often times downright disturbing.

In terms of gameplay it's actually quite good but there are two major faults. First the lack of weight to the guns, meaning it feels so easy and simple to fire and kill everything on your path. This flaw also stands out since the characters themselves feel heavy and realistic (which I liked). Secondly, this game is a bit too gameplay-oriented. Meaning you fight a lot of guys over the course of this game, luckily it is scaled back in comparison to other games but since this is trying to show a somewhat realistic view of the horrors of war it stands out.

Regardless I definitely recommend it. There were multiple moments that made me stunned and shocked with what was happening. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll put it in spoiler tags (nothing story/character related, just a description of a early gameplay feeling).

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Like when you start killing U.S soldiers without knowing if they are your enemies or not. Especially when you can hear people scream "friendly fire" from both sides yet no one stops.

I agree with people commenting on the narrative and atmosphere. It's really, really well done.

Totally and utterly fucked up though. Does not glorify war at all. Seriously, play this game and the feeling immediately afterwards is that you don't want to play another war shooter again, and not for the typical "generic FPS" reasons.

Totally and utterly fucked up though. Does not glorify war at all. Seriously, play this game and the feeling immediately afterwards is that you don't want to play another war shooter again, and not for the typical "generic FPS" reasons.

I agree with everything you said. I actually felt pretty uncomfortable after I beat it and remembered all the stuff that went on. The ending is a little weak sauce though. I like my endings explained to me.

OK, I finally got around to trying it out (PS+ is not helping my backlog...). Played for about four hours in one sitting because I was so engrossed. This game is bloody good. It deserves all the praise it has received. I can't believe I almost passed on it. It's really an experience...

Edit: Well, finished the game today. Did the whole thing in just two sittings...

I gotta say, that was something else. I've really never seen a video game like this before. But to explain why it's so good would require spoiling it, so I won't. Just play it.

I played it with PS+ as well, and like you said, it messes with you in a way I haven't seen before.

Another video people should see if they are on the fence about Spec Ops is the video from Penny Arcade's Extra Credits. It explains why the story is so compelling and more. They have a two part review but the other is better to watch if you have already played the game or don't mind spoilers.